PLANNING FOR SCI2007JCET330W MOVING FORWARD, ADVON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000530 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR WHA/BSC CCROFT, KMOSS; WHA/PPC MBORDERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL CI SUBJECT: PLANNING FOR SCI2007JCET330W MOVING FORWARD, ADVON BEGINS APRIL 10 REF: A. VAZQUEZ-GALVIN EMAIL 02APR2007 ¶B. SANTIAGO 0292 ¶C. SANTIAGO 0266 ¶D. SANTIAGO 0119 ¶E. 06 SANTIAGO 2581 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Emi L. Yamauchi for reasons 1.4( b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 6. ¶2. (C) Summary: Deployment in Chile of the advance elements for Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) SCI2007JCET330W is set to begin on April 9. Deployment of advance elements, munitions and weapons for the exercise will continue through May 12, when the main body of U.S. participants will arrive in country. Military-to-military arrangements are well advanced, and it is our understanding that participants in this exercise will be issued a "safe-conduct" letter from the Chilean Army. However, there is to date no USG - GOC agreement providing immunities and protections for participants in this exercise. The U.S. to-date has not responded formally to Chile's offer to accredit U.S. DOD personnel as administrative and technical (A&T) personnel of the Embassy while deployed on mutually-agreed activities in Chile. That said, even in the absence of a formal government to government agreement, Post believes the GOC will honor past practice, extending effective protections to DOD personnel deployed as part of this exercise. Post notes that April 6 GOC offices will be closed for Good Friday, marking the start of Holy Week (Semana Santa). It may be difficult to contact some GOC officials the week of April 9. End Summary. ¶3. (C) Exercise SCI2007JCET330W will take place in Chile from from April 9, with the arrival of the first advance elements, to May 31, when the final elements redeploy to the United States. Approximately 115 U.S. personnel will be deployed in Chile at the height of this exercise, during May 12 - 28. Brigadier General Cleveland, Commander of SOCSOUTH will be in Chile to participate in operations during May 12 - ¶25. Post is securing permission for import and subsequent export of munitions and weapons to be used during the exercise, and has provided this information to the Chilean Army's Department of Mobilizations. Names of all participants in the exercise are being provided to the Chilean Army as well. Those participants will be issued a letter of safe-conduct, which requests civil authorities to contact military authorities in the case of a problem or if the bearer requires assistance. Although the letter is technically non-binding, in all past cases where U.S. military have been involved in incidents in Chile, those personnel have been turned over to Chilean military authorities, who then rendered them to U.S. military custody. ¶4. (C) There is currently no government-to-government agreement providing immunities and protections to DOD personnel deployed in Chile, as there has been in past years (ref E). The GOC had to reject our request for status equivalent to that of A&T staff of the Embassy for DOD personnel deployed in Chile. They insist that constitutionally the GOC only has authority to extend protections to personnel accredited to the Embassy. The GOC has offered to extend this accreditation to DOD personnel deployed on exercises in Chile (ref D) as it did in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Although Post and State have explained to GOC officials our reservations about accrediting non-diplomatic personnel to the Embassy, to-date the USG has not formally responded to the GOC offer of accreditation. ¶5. (C) Post believes political and civil prosecution risks to participants in this exercise are low. It has been our past experience that Chilean authorities have surrendered U.S. personnel to our custody -- even in apparently egregious circumstances. The GOC has repeatedly expressed its desire for closer military cooperation with the U.S. The functional units of the Army and Special Forces which will participate in this joint exercise are eager for the opportunity to train with U.S. forces. Conversely, a decision to cancel at this late date could strain the relationship -- Chilean authorities are aware that the recent FALCON-CONDOR exercise in Peru was conducted without a SOFA and expressed concern at the participation of U.S. F-16s in that exercise (ref B). Further, cancellation at this time would imply considerable lost costs to the USG. ¶6. (C) Action Request: While Post recommends going forward with this exercise as preferable to cancellation, it urgently requests coordinated State - DOD guidance on the deployment for SCI2007JCET330W in the absence of a government to government agreement extending immunities and protections to DOD participants. Post notes that April 6, Good Friday, is a USG as well as a GOC holiday. It may be difficult to contact some GOC officials the following week as well. KELLY